Sign holder and assembly

ABSTRACT

A sign holder and sign assembly is disclosed which includes an elongated member having along one side outwardly opening sign receiving and retaining channel means and along the opposite side provided with a mounting surface for abutting either a support on which the sign is to be mounted or a corresponding surface of an identical holder whereby a pair of signs may be secured together in end-to-end relation, and in which there are a pair of strap engaging surfaces disposed beyond opposite ends of the channel means whereby the holder may be strapped to a support, and in which a fastener receiving aperture extends through the holder intermediate opposite ends for securing the holder either to a support or to an identical holder. The construction of the holder permits a series of signs to be mounted one above the other and disposed in relatively rotated positions such that the signs may be read from different angles of approach.

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[ SIGN HOLDER AND ASSEMBLY [76] Inventor: John C. Crawford, 15485 Nehls,[57] ABSTRACT East Detroit Mlch' 48021 A sign holder and sign assemblyis disclosed which in- [22] Filed: May 12, 1971 eludes an elongatedmember having along one side outwardly opening sign receiving andretaining channel [21] Appl' 142664 means and along the opposite sideprovided with a mounting surface for abutting either a support on [52]Cl. 40/125 H, 40/145 1R, 248/475 which the sign is to be mounted or acorresponding sur- [51] Int. Cl. 609E 7/20 face of an identical holderwhereby a pair of signs may [5 8] Field of Search 40/145, 125 H; besecured together in end-to-end relation, and in 248/475 which there area pair of strap engaging surfaces disposed beyond opposite ends of thechannel means [56] References Cited whereby the holder may be strappedto a support, and UNITE S S PATENTS in which a fastener receivingaperture extends through 3 218 746 11/1965 Hawkins 40,145 R the holderintermediate opposite ends for securing the 2:383:88 8/1945 40,145 Rholder either to a support or to an identical holder. The 1,6033 10/1926Bren et a1." 40/145 R construction of the holder permits a series ofsigns to 2,622,357 12/1952 Sprung 40/145 R be mounted n bove the otherand disposed in rela- Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell AssistantExaminer-John F. Pitrelli Attorney-Burton and Parker tively rotatedpositions such that the signs may be read from different angles ofapproach.

1 Claim, 12 Drawing Figures l I l 20 68 86 PAIENTED 1 3, 750, 3 1 4 sum1 nr 2 INVENTOR JO/l/V C 664 WFOKD ATTORNEYS PATENIEDAus H975 SHEET 2 0F2 F I 6. l2

INVENTOR Joy/v c? own/Pom BY 6 e a m P a mi 8 J 0H I 4. {II m WE F I a 4m m o 4 a 0 G m ATTORNEYS SIGN HOLDER AND ASSEMBLY FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention relates to holders for signs, and is particularly adaptedfor supporting conventional traffic Signs and the like made of sheetmetal or other relatively thin panel-like material. The holder may besupported either on the side of a post or pole or at the top thereof andis so constructed that by juxtaposing holders, a series of signs may besupported in end-to-end stacked relation and disposed at variousrelative angular positions so that they may be read at different anglesof approach.

PRIOR ART AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For many years HighwayDepartments have found it necessary to provide a great variety offixtures, holders, fasteners and the like in order to mount trafficsigns, which complicates inventory and maintains high costs. In atypical Highway Department, as many as 14 separate parts are requiredfor mounting traffic signs on poles and posts. As a consequence, therehas existed for a number of years the need for a more universal signholder were the number of separate parts could be drastically reduced sothat the inventory and cost of sign holders could be reduced.

l have provided a sign holder which will allow mount ing on a variety ofsupports in present use such as poles and posts either tubular, solid orchannel-shaped, and which will also allow the support of one or moresigns in a simple and effective fashion and at a low cost. According tomy invention, conventional street signals may be mounted on any of theconventional type supports utilizing but three different major parts,namely the sign holder itself and adaptors for either the upper end of atubular post or an adaptor for a channel type post. Conventionalfasteners such as bolts and straps, which are readily available items,are of course also required.

Other objects, and advantages and meritorious features will becomeapparent from the following description and drawings wherein:

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a side elevation of my holdersupporting a sign strapped to a post;

FIG. 2 shows a pair of signs disposed in stacked relation at a 90relative angular position such as might be used at a streetintersection;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the holder;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the holder of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the holder shown in FIG. 4 and illustrating theholder mounted on a channelshaped post;

FIG. 6 shows the capability of angularly displacing a pair of holders toa small angular displacement;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through a pair of holdersshowing them connecting a pair of signs; v

, FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing one of theholders mounted on a pipe support adaptor;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the adaptor of FIG. 8 with the holder removedfor clarity; and

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are respectively side, front and top views ofanother adaptor.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, theholder comprises an elongated member 20 having along one side outwardlyopening channel means 22 and along the opposite side a planar mountingsurface 24 disposed perpendicular to the channel. Projecting beyondopposite ends of the channel are ears 26 and 28 having strap engagingconvex surfaces 30 and shoulders 32 for prevening strap slippage off theears. Intermediate opposite ends of the member 20 is an aperture 34which opens through the bottom 36 of the channel 22 and the mountingsurface 24 for receiving a fastener as hereinafter explained. A sign 5-1to be mounted has a marginal edge received in the channel 22 andbottomed against the bottom 36, and set screws 38 and 40 extendingthrough one wall of the channel secure the sign therein. Bands or straps42 and 44 encircling a sign post 46 and overlying the ears orprojections 26 and 28 serve to secure the holder and in turn the sign onthe post as shown in FIG. I, with the surface 24 of the holder abuttingthe post.

The holder may be formed as a casting of any suitable non-corrosivematerial such as aluminum, reinforced plastic or the like of adequatestructural strength. The set screws 33 and 40 are threaded into tappedbores in the side wall 48 of the channel to engage the margin of thesign and urge it against the inner face of the opposite wall 50 of thechannel. The portions 52 and 54 of the side wall 48 through which theset screws extend, and those portions 52' and 54' of the opposite sidewall, are thicker than those portions 56 and 58 of the channelintermediate them to provide added strength at the points of greateststress. The elongated member midway of its length is widened out as at60 and the channel walls are correspondingly spaced farther apart as at62 and 64 to provide a fastener receiving counterbore 66 through which abolt fastener 68 and its head may be received so that the shank of thebolt may be received through the aperture 34 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.The bottom 70 of the counterbore lies below the bottom 36 of the channelso that the head of the bolt will not interfere with the margin of thesign received in the channel and seated against the bottom 36. Thediameter of the counterbore 66 is sufiicient to allow reception of asocket wrench therein to engage the head of the bolt.

To mount a sign 8-2 on the upper end of a post or pipe 72 as shown inFIG. 2, a cup-like adaptor 74 is provided as shown in greater detail inFIGS. 8 and 9. The cup is sized to telescope over the end of the pipeand is provided with set screws 74 for engaging the pipe and locking thecup thereon. The cup is provided with a through aperture 74 on the axisthereof for receiving the bolt 68 to secure the holder to the cup asshown in FIG. 6.

In order to lock the holder on the cup against relative rotationtherebetween, the mounting surface of the holder and the bottom surfaceof the cup are provided with detent means comprising correspondingpatterns of pin receiving sockets arranged in uniform circumaxialrelation around the respective apertures 34 and 78. In the cup thesockets are shown in FIG. 9 at 40 and in the mounting surface of theholder are shown at 62 in FIG. 6'. Each socket may be slightly tapered.A pair of tapered pins 84 and 86 are provided which are received inpairs of aligned sockets. Preferably for purposes of uniformity, one pinis driven into one socket in the cup and another into a socket in theholder and cups and holders are inventoried for future use in suchcondition, the tapers on the pins and sockets cooperating to preventaccidental dislodgement.

By arranging a pair of holders in back-to-back relation as shown at 20'and 20 in FIGS. 2 and 7, signs S-2 and S-3 may be mounted one atop theother in end-tend stacked relation. I have found that a sign assembly ofas many as four signs may be thus arranged, though only a two signassembly is shown in FIG. 2. The bottom sign S-2 may be mounted as shownin FIG. 8, and affixed to its upper margin is the holder 20' of theconstruction heretofore described. Holder 20" is placed back-to-back onthe holder 20' and the pins 84 and 88, one previously mounted in holder20' and the other in holder 20" enter the opposed socket to lock theholders against relative angular displacement. By inserting the pinsinitially in the same socket in each holder, and by providing 12 sockets82 to 30 angular spacing, the holders may be adjusted to 30 incrementsof angular displacement, to accommodate various angles of observation ofthe signs. The sign 5-3 is of course mounted in the holder 20". Inpractice the holders 20' and 20" are first placed back-to-back at theirdesired angular displacement, if any, with the pin of one entering thesocket of the other. The bolt 68 is then inserted through the alignedapertures and tightened. The cup 74 is then secured to the holder 20 anda bolt 68 tightened to lock them together. The cup is mounted on thepost, the signs inserted in the channels and the set screws tightened tolock the entire assembly together.

In FIG. 5, I have shown a simple side mounting for the holder on anupright channel post 88. This post is sometimes used in lieu of the post46 of FIG. 1. The holder is locked on the channel by a bolt 90 whosehead is seated on the bottom 70 of the counterbore and whose shankextends through an aperture in the bottom of the channel post 88 with anut 92 threaded on the shank. To prevent rotation of the holder on thechannel post, I provide two pair of sockets at each end of the member20, the outermost at each end being indicated at 94 and 94 and theinnermost at 96 and 96'. These sockets are preferably tapered and insockets 94 and 96' are received tapered pins 98. The pins are spacedapart to enter the channel of the post 88 as shown in FIG. 5 and preventrotation of the holder. The pins 98 may be initially driven into eachholder as above described and the holders inventoried in this condition.As shown in FIG. 6, if the sockets 96 and 96' are disposed slightlycloser than the sockets 94 and 94', the pins will interfit in thesockets even though the holders are angularly adjusted to only a 30displacement as shown in FIG. 6. When the holders are placed back-tobackin alignment as shown in FIG. 7 all pins 98 will enter correspondingsockets as shown in FIG. 7.

The pins 84, 86 and 98 have been referred to as separate elements, butif desired may be cast integrally with the holders at the time ofmanufacture if such is preferred.

In FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, I have shown another form of adaptor formounting on a channel-shaped post which is shown in phantom outline inFIGS. 11 and 12 at P. The adaptor comprises a mounting platform 100 ofdisc shape supported on a three-sided bracket having a bottom wall 102and two side walls 104 and 106. An aperture 108 is located centrally ofthe platform 100 for receiving a bolt similar to the bolt 68 of FIG. 8.Another aperture 110 and a slot 112 extends through the bottom wall 102for bolting the adaptor into the upper end of the channel-shaped post P.The holder is mounted on the adaptor similar to the arrangement shown inFIG. 8.

What is claimed is:

I. A sign assembly comprising, in combination:

a plurality of self-supporting single sign panels arranged in juxtaposededge-to-edge relation,

pairs of channel-shaped sign holders arranged in abutting back-to-backrelation with each other having a channel extending along its centerlineand embracing one of the juxtaposed edges of the sign panels,

means releasably extending laterally through the channel-shaped signalholders to engage a sign panel and lock it in the holder,

apertures in the holders opening in alignment through the abutting backsof the holders and opening outwardly into the channels beneath the edgesof the sign panels received therein,

said apertues having tool-receiving counterbore portions extending fromthe open edge of each channel through the depth of the channel andterminating spaced beneath the edge of a sign received in the channel,

and fastener means for securing the holders together in adjustedrelative angularly displaced relation, said fastener means extendingthrough said aligned apertures and wholly concealed within thechannel-shaped holders and disposed wholly between the juxtaposed edgesof the signs and having a head portion disposed within the counterborebeneath the end of a sign.

1. A sign assembly comprising, in combination: a plurality ofself-supPorting single sign panels arranged in juxtaposed edge-to-edgerelation, pairs of channel-shaped sign holders arranged in abuttingbackto-back relation with each holder having a channel extending alongits centerline and embracing one of the juxtaposed edges of the signpanels, means releasably extending laterally through the channel-shapedsign holders to engage a sign panel and lock it in the holder, aperturesin the holders opening in alignment through the abutting backs of theholders and opening outwardly into the channels beneath the edges of thesign panels received therein, said apertues having tool-receivingcounterbore portions extending from the open edge of each channelthrough the depth of the channel and terminating spaced beneath the edgeof a sign received in the channel, and fastener means for securing theholders together in adjusted relative angularly displaced relation, saidfastener means extending through said aligned apertures and whollyconcealed within the channel-shaped holders and disposed wholly betweenthe juxtaposed edges of the signs and having a head portion disposedwithin the counterbore beneath the end of a sign.